info
10 Iconic Creations
Even today, countless enamelled lava creations surround us, and some have become truly iconic… A look back at
10 must-see enamelled lava stone creations
that may well change the way you look at the world around you.
Share
1830 / 1846
1855 / 1866
1867 / 1882
1902/ 1910
1928 – 1970
in
1830: enamelled lava street signs
Count Chabrol de Volvic was the driving force behind Paris’s street signs in enamelled lava. Their use was officially established in 1844 by decree of Prefect Rambuteau.
1846: the porch of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church adorned in enamelled lava
Located in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Church features on the porch façade The Trinity, the first enamelled lava painting executed by Jules Jollivet in 1846, composed of four panels.
1855: 9 Rue Fénelon, Paris — enamelled lava decoration
François or Eugène Gillet. Decorative tiles in reconstructed enamelled lava. Entrance hall of the building at 9 Rue Fénelon.
1866: the tympanum of Saint-Ambroise Church porch painted on enamelled lava
Located in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, the tympanum above the central porch door of Saint-Ambroise Church features Saint Ambrose, an enamelled lava painting executed by Giuseppe Devers from cartoons by Charles Soulacroix in 1866.
1867: the porch of La Sainte-Trinité Church decorated in enamelled lava
Located in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, the tympanum above the porch door of La Sainte-Trinité Church features the painting Accipite Spiritum Sanctum — “Receive the Holy Spirit” — executed by Paul Balze in 1867 using small enamelled lava tiles.
1882: the 1st enamelled lava orientation table
At the completion of the basilica in 1882, a scientific observatory was installed in the north-west tower with the intention of bringing science and faith together. A public observatory was also created in the north-east tower, reached by a magnificent spiral staircase leading to the lantern, and equipped with a remarkably precise lava stone orientation table.
1902: Guimard métro entrance decorated in enamelled lava
Guimard turned to Eugène Gillet for the enamelled lava work. The natural lava panels were first shaped in Volvic, then finished and enamelled at Gillet’s La Briche factory in Saint-Denis. Between 1902 and 1903, Gillet supplied a total of 236 enamelled lava panels together with 112 enamelled sheet-metal “Métropolitain” signs designed by Guimard.
1910: the enamelled lava façades of La Samaritaine department store
In 1910, an Art Nouveau building designed by architect Frantz Jourdain was inaugurated on the southern side of the Seine block. A masterpiece of its kind, with its imposing volumes, metal structure, vast glass canopy and richly worked ornamentation. The whole ensemble is unified by façades adorned with polychrome enamelled lava panels. “Chasse”, “Amazone”, “Travail”, “Chemise” and “Chapeaux” strike the eye like advertising slogans, turning this extraordinary store into a “palace of temptation” or a “cathedral of commerce”, as Parisians then called it.
1929: La Samaritaine’s enamelled lava orientation table
The Seurat company of Saint-Martin created in 1929 the orientation table for the terrace of La Samaritaine department store in Paris.
1928 – 1970: Michelin enamelled lava road signs
In 1928, Michelin established its own enamelling workshop and began producing enamelled lava plaques for road signage. In 1931, the Ministry of the Interior and Public Works adopted Michelin’s angle markers for the main roads of France: four enamelled lava plaques mounted on a concrete support, helping travellers navigate the national road network. The workshop remained in operation until 1970.
In France,
enamelled lava
comes primarily from Auvergne. The craft of the lava enameller is now recognised among the métiers d’art, thanks to the specialist know-how and outstanding technical mastery that enamelled lava demands.
Enamelled lava: our expertise
